


Babysitting

by spacenoir



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Ladrien June, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 18:25:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14920578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacenoir/pseuds/spacenoir
Summary: For Ladrien June Day 2: Babysitting.Ladybug already has a lot on her plate, but the universe seems determined to heap more on. An extra serving of crazy akuma, a dash of mortal peril and a whole helping of annoyance. Add Ladybug's love Adrien being an actual trouble magnet and you get one exciting and frustrating day for the hero of Paris.





	Babysitting

**Author's Note:**

> This is my prompt fill for Ladrien June Day 2! I have about 15 days planned for Ladrien month and I'm a bit behind but when they're done, I'll be adding them here! I hope you enjoy - this is my first Miraculous fic ^-^

It was not unusual for Ladybug to arrive on the scene of an akuma attack before Chat Noir did. In fact, because they didn't exactly have an akuma alarm or a _bug signal_ , there were times that one or the other wouldn't even show up to the battle until the very end.

So when Ladybug landed on a rooftop overlooking the current akuma chaos, she wasn't too worried that she was the only one there - even if this akuma was creating quite the spectacle. Instead, she crouched down and observed the scene before her. The akuma was normal-sized ( _thank goodness_ , Marinette thinks) and appeared to be a teenager. The girl had bright orange pigtails flowing out from the sides of her head and twisting towards her waist. Her dress was cut in the shape of a princess gown but chopped at the knees, almost like it had been shredded. The swirling patterns of black, orange, and red made her look like a Halloween costume gone wrong. From her vantage point, Ladybug couldn't point out anything specifically off about her outfit that would indicate the akuma, which meant she'd have to get a closer look. She wanted to groan at the thought.

Before she could hop down, the girl lifted her staff in the air and a bright pink glow eminated from the orb perched on top. All at once, there were screams and cries from children as their toys were sucked out of their hands and tossed into the air. Every toy in the area flew towards the akuma, until they were swirling over her head like a tornado.

 _Or a **toy** nado_, Ladybug imagined Chat would say.

"Listen to me, Citizens of Paris!" the akuma yelled, her voice booming over the sound of crying. "I am the Babysitter! I will destroy all of Paris and turn it into my own playground," she shouted with a smirk. Ladybug wanted to groan again. The akumas had been more and more theatrical as of late and Ladybug had to wonder if it was because of the akumatized victims themselves or if it was Hawkmoth's dramatic influence.

"Give me back my dolly!" a high, shrill voice suddenly squeaked out. Babysitter's attention was drawn to a little girl - who couldn't have been older than Manon - standing before the crowd that had formed around the akuma. The little girl had the audacity to look huffy, arms crossed and full-on _pouting_  at the akuma. Pulling her yo-yo off her waist, Ladybug scanned the area for a good spot to swing down from. The fury on Babysitter's face as she stared down the defiant little girl was proof enough that this could only end badly. She only wished Chat Noir had shown up by now - he was perfect for distracting childish akumas.

It was as she was scanning the street below that her eyes flitted over the crowd. The Babysitter was stalking towards the young girl, Ladybug knew she didn't have much time left but her brain couldn't process anything as soon as she realized that _Adrien Agreste_  was there. His perfect blonde hair stood out among the crowd and her eyes scanned his outfit - his basketball uniform. If she hadn't been panicking internally she would have remembered Adrien telling Nino his basketball team would be practicing at the park right across the street. She knew he usually managed to avoid akuma attacks (always ducking away as soon as they started which Ladybug was always happy for - she did not want to see him in danger) and it looked like he must have been about to hide by the way his body was positioned. He was turned towards a nearby alley but he was frozen, his eyes wide and staring between the little girl and the akuma. Ladybug noticed with dismay that he was the closest to the little girl, and knowing first-hand how sweet and kind Adrien was, she could guess the thoughts running through his head in that moment.

Just as the realization hit her - _oh no, he's gonna get himself hurt, Adrien!!!_  - Adrien's face transitioned from shocked to determined and he leapt forward. In the same moment, Babysitter brought her staff down with a snarl and pointed it directly at the little girl who was just now realizing how serious the situation was.

Ladybug saw the hit like it was in slow motion - the yellow glow lighting up the orb on the staff, the little girl's face crumpling and tears beginning to leak out of her eyes, Adrien's shout as he jumped, arms stretched towards the girl. She barely registered that she was screaming for Adrien in a panicked voice, her yo-yo whipping out to grab onto a tree. She attempted to swing down into the path of the akuma but she knew with a sinking heart that she would get there too late. She landed on the hard pavement of the street just as Adrien reached the girl, clutching her tightly to his chest and turning so the blast connected with his back.

Yellow engulfed Adrien's silhouette and then they were both thrown backwards. Ladybug yelped and ran to the downed citizens, her heart in her throat and completely disregarding the villain behind her. She distantly heard the Babysitter firing off more blasts from her staff but she didn't have the time to check out what was happening as she knelt by Adrien's side. He was on his side with his back facing her, the little girl beside him safely nestled in his arms. Ladybug was close to full-blown panic mode as she realized his eyes were shut.

What did that blast do to him? Did he hit his head on the way down?

"Adrien?!" Ladybug cried out, her voice wobbling as she reached forward to shake his hoodie-clad shoulder.

Yellow light suddenly engulfed his form and Ladybug shrieked, her hand flying off his shoulder on pure instinct. The little girl shuffled out of Adrien's arms and ran to Ladybug's side, immediately seeking comfort. The light blinded Ladybug for a moment and as soon as she blinked the spots from her vision, it was gone.

In fact, Adrien was gone too.

Curled up where Adrien had been was a toddler who couldn't have been older than two, familiar whisps of blond hair fanning his forehead and his hands curling into the sleeves of his black hoodie. Ladybug's mind was still in freak-out mode (a mode Alya could attest was very dangerous and provided Marinette with -2 brain capacity) but even so it took her only a few seconds to piece together what the hell had just happened.

Adrien Agreste, her biggest crush and _love of her life_  had been turned into a baby.

* * *

 

Okay, so Ladybug had some amendments to her realization. First, Adrien had been turned into quite possibly the cutest baby ever born. She'd never seen any baby pictures of him - despite her best efforts to find some - but she had to assume he had been this cute at this age and she was _dying_. As soon as she had gotten over her shock and had looked around to confirm that the Babysitter was in fact turning adults into children, she had gently shaken Adrien awake. He had proven to be just as tactile as he was in his teen years, his first instinct after cracking open his eyelids to reach a tiny little hand out towards Ladybug's form. She had done her best not to squeal.

She had _not_  succeeded.

From what she could tell, no harm had been done to Adrien. She had gotten him to tell her his name ( _Mommy calls me Ade but Daddy says it's **Adrien**_  he had told her, little fist rubbing his eye) how old he was (he had held up two fingers and smiled proudly, showing off his two front teeth) and what he remembered ( _Dunno_  he'd mumbled with a pout _m'tired_ ). Despite clearly being sleepy, he was a well-behaved child which had Ladybug wondering if that was truly his nature, or if that was trained into him. Knowing what she did of his father, she was willing to believe the latter.

As soon as she had pulled him into her arms and cradled him to her chest, he had smiled that toothy little grin and nestled his head against her shoulder. It was a tugging on her arm from the little girl Adrien had saved that brought her back to reality. She turned around, making sure to hold Adrien secure, and blanched as she saw the destruction around them.

Luckily, Babysitter had stayed in the park. Many of the adults in the area were already turned into children, their ages varying though it seems none of them had been de-aged as much as Adrien had been. Those who had been spared were being chased by pink floating toys, their screams drowned out by the akuma's cackling. A blast echoed through the street as the Babysitter fired again from her staff. The light from this one was green, and as soon as it connected with a building, the entire structure was transformed into larger-than-life blocks.

The blast must have startled Adrien who jolted in her arms and began to whine. She immediately rocked him in her arms, hushing him as she petted his hair. Ladybug found it almost sad that even his crying was quiet, like he had been trained from a young age to not make much noise even when upset.

As she hiked Adrien further into her arms and murmured words of comfort near his ear, she contemplated her current situation. She needed to stop Babysitter soon, before she was bored with this park and decided to set her sights on the rest of the city. She still had no idea where the akuma could be, though she was starting to suspect it might have something to do with the staff. Maybe the cord tied around it, it kind of looked like a bracelet?

The problem was she couldn't very well fight the akuma while holding Adrien and she couldn't just _leave_  Adrien because he was _two years old_  and she just _couldn't_. The need to protect citizens was amplified when it came to Adrien already because of her crush on him but factor in his current state and the fact that he was the most precious thing Ladybug had ever seen and she was sure she couldn't just set him on the ground and go about her business. Especially when he sniffled and brought his arms up, curling them close to his chest and grabbing little fist-fulls of her costume. His bright green eyes stared up at her devoid of anymore tears, and she found herself smiling, leaning down to press a swift kiss to his forehead. Adrien giggled and tipped his head forward to crash into her shoulder again, making happy little cooing noises against her skin.

Yeah, she was definitely dying and it was all Adrien's fault.

She was out of options, and since Lucky Charm was her last resort typically, she figured now was as good a time as any to try it out. She'd be on a time table after casting it but she honestly didn't see any way out of her current predicament without losing the akuma or leaving Adrien vulnerable.

She called her Lucky Charm, smiling at the look of awe that took over Adrien's face as he gazed up at the yo-yo surrounded in pink sparkles. Out of the sparkles fell cushioned straps she couldn't really make sense of, though she grabbed it right away. Flipping it over in her hands a couple of times, she finally got it right side up and realized with a chuckle that the strange contraption was a harness - the kind that really protective parents buy so they can strap their kids onto their chests. Strange as it was, the harness was exactly what she needed.

 _Guess I'm fighting and babysitting at the same time_  Ladybug mused, setting Adrien on the ground reluctantly as she hurriedly strapped the harness across her chest. As soon as it was secured she picked Adrien back up, settling him in and adjusting the straps to make sure there was no way he could fall out. Adrien turned confused doe-eyes up to her but aqcuised fairly easily, settling against her chest and once more reaching a hand up to grab her costume. She smiled and took a moment to ruffle his hair and drop one last kiss to the top of his head. Later she'd probably combust at the thought of how many times she'd kissed _Adrien Agreste_  today but for now the little weight against her chest was a comfort.

Taking a deep breath, Ladybug spun around to locate the akuma. She was pretty easy to find, the blur of orange, black, and red woven among the adults she'd turned to children. The Babysitter waved her staff at two trees close together and, with a dazzling flash of green, they were transformed into a swingset.

 _Right_  Ladybug thought, _one big playground._

She flung her yo-yo and snagged it on one of the remaining trees, using it to propel her across the square so she could get closer. The added weight of Adrien on her chest was slightly awkward but easy to compensate for. She bounced off the wall of a nearby building and landed a few feet from Babysitter, who was too distracted flinging toys at the scrambling adults in the park to realize the super heroine had landed right behind her. Using the distraction to her advantage, she spared one last glance down at Adrien and smiled as the toddler let out a little yawn and snuggled close. In a few beats he seemed to have fallen asleep and Ladybug let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Slipping her yo-yo into her right palm, Ladybug crept toward the Babysitter. If she could just catch the villain unaware, she could take the staff, find the akumatized object and break it without too much fighting. She was almost there too, just a few more inches before she could reach out touch those fiery orange pigtails with her fingers when a familiar mask outlined the air above the Babysitter's face. It was only there for a moment but Ladybug knew what it meant and leapt backwards, just in time to avoid the two toy cars that had been hurled at her face.

"Ladybug!" Babysitter growled, her staff held in front of her menacingly. "I don't like you for ruining my playtime, but I need your miraculous so Hawkmoth can make it playtime forever!"

Ladybug scoffed and propped her hands on her hips.

"What makes you think you can have them?" she taunted. Babysitter only let out a frustrated yell before firing another blast from her staff, this one yellow. Ladybug easily dodged it, having given herself enough room to maneuver. Unfortunately, that put her far from her target but she had to hope Chat Noir would show up soon so she could work out a better plan.

Where _was_  that stupid cat?

The next couple of minutes were a frustrating pattern of blasts being fired and Ladybug easily dodging them. The repetition was annoying but made Ladybug realize she couldn't wait on her chaton. Eventually one of those blasts might hit her or, worse, hit Adrien again and she didn't have the time to assume Chat would make it.

Dodging yet another yellow blast, Ladybug skipped behind a tree, snagged a bench with her yo-yo from the other side and hurled it at the Villain. It wouldn't keep Babysitter down for long but it would give her enough time to come up with a plan.

Adrien was still somehow miraculously asleep in the harness despite the action they'd just gone through. He was breathing peacefully, his hand clenching and unclenching around Ladybug's costume in his sleep. Ladybug ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, letting the movement calm her as she glanced around the park.

She had at least sort of roped Babysitter into the corner of the park, both sides blocked off by buildings. There were alleys close but the villain would have to get around Ladybug to get to them. Many of the items in the area had been turned into toys already, including a car (thankfully it had been empty) that had been transformed into a big plastic slide.

_Wait, the slide!!_

A plan already starting to form in her head, Ladybug withdrew her hand from Adrien's hair and ran around the other side of the tree. She had figured out that the colors of the blasts Babysitter was firing were patterned, and that the next blast should be green. She could use this to her advantage.

Babysitter was by a playground set that had once been another building, flinging the bench Ladybug had launched at her. Ladybug chuckled as she walked closer, catching Babysitter bringing her staff around to aim at her once more. The akuma was angry and her face lit up with the outline of the butterfly once more. Ladybug could guess Hawkmoth was reminding the akuma to get her miraculous, or something along those lines. He was really so naive.

"You know, Babysitter," she began, walking even closer but making sure to keep her eye on the staff in the akuma's hand. "You should really consider changing your name."

The akumatized girl's face twisted even more than it already had, her frown deepening and fire lighting up her eyes. Bingo.

"Why is that?" Babysitter asked haughtily. Ladybug chuckled.

"Well, it's just such a dumb profession, don't you think?" she asked lightly, her tone lilting. The muscle above Babysitter's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. "You don't get paid much, but really babysitters shouldn't get paid at all. They're basically doing _nothing_ , just sitting around. It's so _easy_." As she spoke conversationally, she made sure to walk at an angle until she was in front of the foot of the slide. Babysitter's face was red, her eyes bulging at this point. Ladybug knew she only needed one more push. She cupped her arm around Adrien's little form expectantly, knowing she'd have to move quick and wanting to make sure he was protected.

With a clearing of her throat and a roll of her eyes, she smirked at the Babysitter.

"Honestly, you should get a real _adult_  job."

Her words did the trick. As soon as the word 'adult' left her mouth Babysitter fired a blast from her staff. The second the green blast left the staff Ladybug somersaulted out of the way. She immediately snagged the bench that she had thrown earlier with her yo-yo, tossing it high into the air above the shocked akuma's head. The green blast hit the slide at an angle, bouncing off harmlessly and shooting straight up to the bench. It hit with a blinding light and the bench was suddenly transformed into a big rubber duckie. It fell before a shocked Babysitter could do anything about it, knocking her down and knocking the staff out of her hands. Ladybug snatched the staff before Babysitter had the chance to grab it again.

Just as she thought, there was a bracelet wrapped around the staff, a little horse charm dangling from it. Ladybug yanked it off and crushed it under her foot. She quickly caught the escaping akuma and cleansed it, watching as a black and purple wave washed over Babysitter's form to reveal a young teenage girl.

She was halfway to unstrapping Adrien so she could cast Miraculous Cleanse when a thought came over her, making her pause. As soon as she cast Miraculous Cleanse, everything would go back to normal. Which means cute, adorable, _precious_  baby Adrien would go back to normal. She groaned at the dilemma.

Obviously she loved Regular Adrien, so it's not like she didn't want him to be his normal self again but she would be lying if she said she hadn't actually enjoyed having little Adrien, even if it was due to an akuma's influence. Even now, as she struggled with her treacherous brain he was nuzzling against her chest in his sleep like a little kitten, completely at ease with her. She wished she could have little Adrien around longer, but she knew doing so would mean Adrien wouldn't be himself and the dozens of other people turned would be stuck as well.

It was with a heavy heart that she unstrapped Adrien from the harness. The movement roused the toddler who yawned sleepily and blinked up at Ladybug with those dew-y green eyes. She propped him up on her hip so she could finish unstrapping the harness from herself, the process taking a little longer one-handed but she was unwilling and unable to let Adrien go to free up her other hand. Just as she lifted the rest of the contraption away from her body, Adrien reached up and tapped her arm with a little noise. Ladybug looked down at him with surprise to find him giving her that look of awestruck wonder that he'd given her Lucky Charm.

"Um, Miss, what is your name?" he asked, and Ladybug wanted to coo right then and there. Of course Adrien was polite to boot - he was just too cute and it wasn't _fair_.

"My name's Ladybug," she answered with a bright grin, one that he immediately matched.

"Miss Ladybug!" he said excitedly, apparently happy to know what to call her. His smile dimmed a little and he glanced around shyly before looking back up to Ladybug, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as he gestured for the super hero to lower her head closer to his. The sudden bashful appearance surprised Ladybug but she ducked her head anyway, assuming Adrien wanted to whisper something in her ear.

Instead, she felt a tiny press of little lips to her cheek and her eyes widened in complete shock.

Adrien Agreste had just kissed her on the cheek.

 _Note to self: tell Alya you want this moment engraved on your tombstone_.

"Mommy says we should always say 'thank you' to people who help us," Adrien said, his voice squeaking a little. Through the hazy shock to her system, Ladybug smiled and laughed a little, pulling back with a blush adorning her cheeks.

"Your mommy is a very smart lady," she told him airily, which finally returned the bright, sunshine smile to his face.

"Mommy is the best!" he explained, and then seemed to think better of it and amended, "Mommy and Miss Ladybug are both the best!"

Yep, Ladybug needed to cast this Miraculous Cleanse soon or her heart was actually going to give out on her.

Looking down at the little Adrien one last time, she smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He smiled up at her, eyes sparkling as she tossed the baby harness in the air and called for Miraculous Cleanse. Ladybugs engulfed the square and covered almost every inch, reminding Ladybug how extensive this battle had been. A rush of ladybugs surrounded Adrien and she made sure to set him down on the ground. She wasn't sure she could handle a grown Adrien resurrecting in her arms while settled on her hip.

As soon as the ladybugs cleared, she looked down to see Adrien in all his modeling glory, holding a hand to his head dazedly. As much as the little Adrien had been incredibly cute, she was sure she preferred this version. He groaned slightly and shook his head like he was shaking away the cobwebs before finally glancing around him and finding Ladybug.

"L-Ladybug?" he asked confusedly. Ladybug smiled reassuringly and knelt down, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Wh-where..." he looked around dazed for another moment before memories must have crashed down on him and his eyes widened in shock. "Where's that little girl? Is she okay?" he asked frantically, craning his head to try and find a glimpse of her. If Ladybug needed anymore proof that she completely and totally loved Adrien, this was it.

"She's fine, you got to her in time but you got turned blasted with the akuma's weapon," she was quick to assure him, pointing over her shoulder to where the little girl stood conversing with her parents. Adrien let out a sigh of relief and visibly deflated, though inexplicably his cheeks suddenly burned red. He wasn't remembering anything... was he?

"Did I die or something? I don't remember anything after the blast," he asked, and Ladybug's breath halted in her throat as she remembered the moments before she found out what the akuma's blast did. The moments where she wasn't sure what had happened to him. He luckily had only been transformed into a toddler, but he could have been seriously hurt had it been a different akuma. The thought chilled her to the bone. The curious gaze Adrien leveled at her reminded her he needed an explanation.

"N-No, nothing like that. You were turned into a two year old," she said, voice just a little softer. Adrien relaxed and smiled, opening his mouth to ask another question when a beep cut through the air between them. Ladybug's hand flew to her earrings in shock - she had completely forgot that she'd used her Lucky Charm so early in the battle! She must not have heard the beeping before and it wouldn't be long before she transformed back. She jumped to her feet like a reflex, noting Adrien scrambling up next to her. She pulled her yo-yo off her belt and was about to launch it when a hand grabbed her arm, Adrien asking her to wait in a choked voice.

His cheeks were bright red and he was staring down at his feet when she turned back to him. She was about to ask what was wrong when he sprung forward, quickly pressing a kiss to her cheek and pulling back just as quick so he could drop his _even-redder_  face and hunch his shoulders in a complete picture of shyness.

"Th-Thanks for saving m-us Ladybug."

Okay, Ladybug officially must have died earlier and this was heaven. There was no other explanation for it.

Her mouth fell open and she reverently brought her hand up to touch her cheek in the spot that had been kissed. She was going to have to amend that tombstone request for Alya; she now wanted a 50" flat screen superimposed over the grave replaying this moment over and over again until the end of time.

Another beep from her miraculous shocked her out of her reverie and the breath finally returned to her. She'd been so shocked, she wasn't exactly sure when she'd stopped breathing, honestly. She wanted to say something, anything, to Adrien who looked like he wanted the ground to eat him alive but she knew she only had a little over a minute before her transformation wore off.

Determined, Ladybug decided to forgo any mental planning and grabbed Adrien's hand, drawing it up to her lips and making eye contact with him when he finally lifted his head.

"Thanks for letting me save you, hot stuff," she said with all the coolness and confidence she could muster from her Ladybug persona. To seal the deal, she planted a kiss across his knuckles, glancing up to see Adrien's mouth hung open, his eyes wide as saucers and that adorable blush spread across his whole face and down his neck. She dropped his hand with a smirk, determined to wait until she could get away from here to fully freak out about what she was doing, and tossed her yo-yo so it snagged on a chimney.

"Let's do this again sometime," she said with a wink, and took off into the night.


End file.
